Dementia-friendly Screenings at Acklam Green Centre

Actes secures funds to host Dementia Friendly screenings Middlesbrough charity Actes has further demonstrated its commitment to local people living with dementia, after securing funding to host five Dementia Friendly film screenings over the coming year. The Tees Valley Community Foundation has awarded funding to Actes to cover the cost of hosting the events at its Acklam Green Centre facility, following the success of two pilot screenings in the centre’s Roseberry Hall earlier this year, which were delivered in partnership with Cleveland Alzheimers Residential Centre Limited (Cleverarc) who are lead for Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough project.Feedback from the two pilot events was so positive that Actes and Cleverarc decided they would like to host more regular screenings to help combat the likelihood of isolation among those living locally with dementia who find it difficult to access mainstream cinemas because of how busy they are. Actes, which works closely with communities across Tees Valley to tackle issues through the delivery of tailored support and training programmes, is committed to being Dementia Friendly; Actes staff have completed dementia awareness training and its two business and community centres, the Acklam Green Centre and the Resource Centre, have been assessed against the dementia friendly physical environment checklist to ensure they are dementia friendly. Carol Kerr, business manager for Actes who managed the funding bid, said: “We are delighted to have secured funds from Tees Valley Community Foundation to host five dementia friendly screenings at our Acklam Green Centre facility. As a charity Actes is committed to working with the communities in which we operate to reduce loneliness and isolation, and these screenings which provide the opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers to meet and interact with others, do just that.”Brian Rowcroft, Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough Business Engagement Lead, said: “It’s fantastic that Actes sees the importance of supporting people living with dementia in the Middlesbrough community and has gone about securing funds to host more regular screenings after the pilot events were so well received. “These bespoke screenings work really well as we are able manage the number of attendees so that the room does not feel overcrowded, volume and light can be adjusted when needed, mini-breaks can take place whenever required and people are encouraged to express themselves freely. These factors all contribute to enabling people living with dementia to enjoy a cinema experience in a safe and comfortable environment.”Donna Smith, facilities manager at Acklam Green Centre, said: “The Acklam Green Centre offers versatile space for all kinds of events and our Roseberry Hall with its racked seating and AV system is ideal for these screenings. We look forward to welcoming members of the local community over the course of the next year.”The first dementia friendly screening, a showing of Grease, took place on Wednesday 8th August at Acklam Green Centre and the remainder are scheduled to take place during school holidays throughout 2018-19. Due to size of the venue the screenings are invitation only.For further information about Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough visit www.dementiafriendlymiddlesbrough.co.uk or email browcroft@clevearc.comFor further information about Actes please contact Tel: 01642 858 050, Email: info@actes.co.uk or visit the website www.actes.co.uk. Follow Actes Trust on Twitter @ActesTrust